Intentional fire damages hale in 'Iao heritage park
By Christie Wilson
Advertiser Neighbor Island Editor
WAILUKU, Maui — For three years Vince Colleado and other volunteers with the Pu'u Honua O 'Iao ministry worked to make improvements to a Hawaiian hale and the surrounding grounds at Kepaniwai Park's Heritage Garden in 'Iao Valley.
Christie Wilson • The Honolulu Advertiser
Yesterday he showed up with his yard tools to find that the structure, called Hale Noho, had been burned in a fire believed to have been maliciously set.
Vince Colleado of Pu'u Honua O 'Iao has been helping take care of the Hawaiian hale at the Kepaniwai Park Heritage Garden in 'Iao Valley that was damaged by fire Monday.
The fire occurred around 4:30 a.m. Monday, said Deputy Fire Marshal Neal Bal of the Maui Department of Fire Control. The thatched pili grass roof and wooden beams were burned, leaving the hale's stone walls and corrugated metal sheets that supported the roof. Bal estimated the damage at $5,000 and is still investigating the suspected arson.
Hale Noho is one of about a half-dozen replica structures at the county-owned Heritage Garden meant to represent the island's ethnic diversity. The park, below 'Iao Valley State Park and alongside 'Iao Stream, is not locked at night.
The hale was not a truly authentic model of a traditional Hawaiian home, and Colleado said park officials, members of his ministry and others last year had begun talking about rebuilding the structure into a more accurate depiction. With the help of students from local schools, Pu'u Honua O 'Iao fixed up the taro lo'i next to the hale and made other improvements to the grounds. The ministry also holds monthly cultural events there.
Colleado said the hale itself had never been used before this past November, when an 'awa ceremony celebrating the annual makahiki season was conducted inside the small hut. Although he was disappointed to see that someone had burned the hale, Colleado said the fire might be an impetus to follow through with plans for a redesign.
"It was a bad thing, but maybe some good will come out of it," he said.
To help with the project, call Colleado at (808) 357-2093.
